Is all the extra fat caused by stress? 7 questions to see if you are gaining weight due to stress!

When a few friends get together for a meal, if one person complains about gaining weight too quickly, the others will console him by saying, "It's probably stress-related! You need to relax a little and don't put too much work and pressure on yourself!" However, there are many reasons for obesity. How can most people determine whether their obesity is "stress-related"? Nutritionists recommend asking yourself 7 questions first!

2 out of 7 questions - Be careful of "stress weight gain"!

"Stress" is an abstract thing. Everyone feels and tolerates it differently. Nutritionist Cheng Shijia recommends that people ask themselves the following 7 questions. If the answer is "YES" to 2 or more questions, it means that the fat that is difficult to lose may be the wall of obesity accumulated by pressure from work or schoolwork!

□ When you are under a lot of stress, do you also have a big appetite?

□ Do you particularly want to eat high-sugar, high-oil, low-nutrient, high-calorie foods?

□ Is fat particularly accumulated in the abdomen and buttocks?

□ Are you prone to depression, low spirits, anxiety and irritability?

□ Experiencing short-term stress and gaining weight quickly within a month?

□ Facing long-term stress, fat is accumulating more and more, and body fat percentage remains high?

□ Stay away from stress, but your appetite increases instead of decreasing?

Why does stress make you fat? Let me tell you 3 reasons!

Nutritionist Zheng Shijia explained that stress can cause obesity mainly due to three aspects:

1. Affect the "autonomic nervous system". Modern people live in high-pressure environments for a long time, which causes the sympathetic nerves to become excited and the parasympathetic nerves to be inhibited. This causes a decrease in gastrointestinal motility, poor digestive function, and slow lipid metabolism. Fat is easily accumulated in the body, leading to body shape distortion.

2. Affects the "endocrine system". When the body is under great stress, it secretes a stress hormone called cortisol (also known as cortisol), which stimulates appetite and makes it easy to accumulate fat in the abdomen and buttocks.

No. 3, neuropeptide Y. When under long-term stress, the body will secrete Neuropeptide Y (NPY), which increases the appetite and food intake for high-fat and high-calorie foods, thereby accelerating fat accumulation in the body.

Beat stress obesity ~ 4 principles of anti-obesity diet

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." After understanding the causes of stress obesity, how can we defeat it? In recent years, a proverb has become popular in the medical community: "You are what you eat." This proverb refers to the importance of choosing the right food!

Under high mental stress, eating the wrong foods can easily lead to storage of fat and breakdown of muscle; on the contrary, if you eat the right foods, you can successfully replenish nutrients and burn them to produce energy. In this regard, nutritionist Zheng Shijia recommends starting with soothing the adrenal glands and implementing the four dietary principles on a daily basis to help stay away from stress-induced obesity. (The adrenal glands are responsible for secreting hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and aldosterone that regulate all stress responses in the body, the environment, and the mind.

1. Balanced intake of the three major nutrients: carbohydrates should be mainly low-GI whole grains; moderate amounts of high-quality protein foods, such as lean beef, eggs, etc.; choose good oils to avoid excessive saturated and trans fats.

2. Eat more foods containing B vitamins: Whole grains, beans and meat are rich in B vitamins, which can assist in the metabolism of the three major nutrients (protein, lipids, carbohydrates) and other nutrients.

3. Eat more foods high in vitamin C: Under stressful conditions, when stress hormones are released, vitamin C will also be lost quickly. Therefore, you can supplement with foods rich in vitamin C such as guava, tomatoes, oranges, citrus, kiwi fruit, green peppers, sweet potatoes and potatoes. In addition, vitamin C can also help the body convert glucose into energy.

4. Foods that stimulate endorphin secretion: They can be obtained from whole grains and fruits. It is recommended to choose sugar from natural sources and avoid cakes, ice cream and other snacks containing sugar and refined starch to avoid causing a vicious cycle of obesity.

In addition to eating the right food, you can also do this to avoid stress obesity!

In addition to anti-obesity diet, if you want to stay away from or get rid of stress-induced obesity, it is also recommended to develop the habit of aerobic exercise, yoga, bathing, and deep sleep for 7 to 8 hours a day, which will help balance the body, mind and hormones and relieve stress. In addition, doing some volunteer work to divert your attention is also a good way to reduce stress and forget your worries!